Shark Lover

by Marie, Gracie

“Because when we run we can feel a rush. We can feel the breeze going through our hair. We feel alive. We can feel Daddy’s spirit.” Cathy looked up at the sky again and smiled. She couldn’t wait to get to the beach. Her heart was beginning to feel full again. She had felt crushed for such a long time that she forgot what it was like to feel whole.

  “Cathy, we’re here. Can we stop running now?” Carly huffed and puffed as she laid her whole body in the sand. “You’re wearing me out.” She closed her eyes and opened them again. “Why did we come here again? I know Daddy took us here, but there has to be some other reason. I can see it in your eyes.”

  “Because of what Daddy told me. The last thing he said before he died.” She looked up at the sky and smiled.

  “What did he say Cathy?” Her earnest blue eyes looked at her sister with fear.

  “He said that whenever we are missing him, that we should look for him in our hearts. That’s where we will find him. He’ll always be alive in our hearts. I wanted to come here because sunset was Daddy’s favorite time of day. He loved the sun setting into the ocean. His favorite type of sky is right in front of us. It’s a sailor’s delight. Whenever the clouds are red like that, it means the next day will be sunny. Now all of our days will be sunny. Daddy isn’t dead, he’s alive in our hearts and he always will be.”

  Cathy put her arm around Carly as they just sat in the sand together and watched the sky. She looked down at her all black dress and cringed. She felt as if she should have worn white. White was the color of bliss, happiness and heaven. For the first time in days, she felt herself relaxing. It felt good to be with her sister at a place they constantly visited with their father. It was a peaceful moment and from that moment on, Cathy knew she would be okay. Her father lived in her and her sister. He hadn’t really died. He still lived on in their hearts.

  Chapter 17

  “I can’t believe you let her go!” Carly screeched on the phone. “I also can’t believe you waited this long to tell me. You actually caught her six months ago and you’re just now telling me?”

  “I didn’t think you would understand. You would have thought I was crazy at the time, so I just never mentioned it until now,” Cathy said as she sat down on her leather couch next to Chris. They were both eating strawberries and watching some documentary on marine animals. It was a Saturday morning and Cathy was glad that she was able to sleep in and relax. Weekends were always her favorite, she was able to do what she wanted without a schedule. “I just had to let her go Carly. You should have seen her face. I couldn’t hurt her. She was pregnant. It wasn’t her fault that she killed Marc. It was just purely an accident.”

  “I still think that you’re crazy, but as your sister I understand. I know how much you love animals. You’re a marine biologist, I couldn’t see you hurting an animal. I won’t give you too much heartache over it, it was your decision and I respect that. How has everything else been going?” Carly asked inquisitively.

  “Everything has been great. I’m almost finished with graduate school. If I take some summer classes, I should probably finish by the winter. I’m still sad at times, but I’m getting through it a lot better. I feel stronger now. Chris and I are just watching some documentary and we’re going to go to the lab later. The Shark Savor’s meeting was cancelled today due to the weather. Chris wasn’t sure if it was going to rain or not, so he called it off. I talked to Officer Sanchez the other day.” She said looking over at Chris, whose eyes were still glued to the television.

  “What did he say?” Carly asked with interest.

  “After nine months of not finding a body, his mother is going to go through with the funeral arrangements. It’s set for tomorrow, I know it’s kind of last minute but if you want to come I can text you the directions. I think it will be good closure for everyone,” She said with compassion. “I’ll call you back later, there’s just one thing I need to do before Chris and I leave for the lab.”

  “I’ll be there. Text me the address. Call me back whenever you can. I know you’re busy, but I miss you! Bye Sis.” She ended the call cheerfully.

  Cathy plugged in the number after finding it in a text that Officer Sanchez had sent her. What she was about to do was long overdue and she worried about how it would be taken. She wished she would have done it sooner, but that was the past and she couldn’t change what she hadn’t done. She had to look forward towards the present and look past all of her previous mistakes.

  “Hello? Who is this?” A woman’s voice asked with anxiety.

  “Mrs. Porter? This is Cathy Montanan. I was the girl who was dating your son before he died. I was just calling to get in touch with you. I know that this is long overdue, but it was just a painful time. I’m sure you understand.”

  “Oh yes, Cathy. Marc talked about you all of the time. I understand, it was a horrible time for me. I lost my son, the person I was closest to. He took care of me every day. I feel lost without him.” She said in a saddened tone.

  “I do too. When he died, I felt as if a piece of me died. I know that he loved you. He talked about you all of the time too. I’m sure he is watching down on you and making sure that you are alright.” She paused, unsure of what to say next. “I heard from Officer Sanchez that you were holding the funeral tomorrow. I just wanted to let you know that I am coming. My sister, mother and my best friend Chris will most likely be joining me. I hope that’s alright. Even though it’s been nine months, I know that you still feel the pain. I do too, maybe we can get through it together.”

  “Cathy, I am glad that you called. I had been meaning to call you as well. I wanted to personally invite you and your family to the funeral, times were just tough. I was spending every day crying, missing my son. Life has been so hard without him. I never planned on him dying before me. He was my best friend and the light of my life. I still feel the pain too. I would love a friend to talk to. Would you like to come over sometime and have a cup of tea? It would be great to finally meet you and share some of our memories that we had with Marc.” Her voice filled with sorrow as she could barely get the words out.

  “I would love that. I know you’re probably really busy tomorrow, but I could stop by before you go to the funeral. We could have some tea and then go together. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you those first couple of months when he died. He just meant so much to me. I’m really sorry about your loss. I just want you to know that I thought about you every day and that you were always in my prayers.” Cathy said with true goodness.

  “Yes, that would be wonderful. Don’t worry about it, it was a rough time for both of us. At least we are reconnecting now. That’s what’s important. I will see you tomorrow, my dear. Come sometime in the morning. It doesn’t matter what time, I will be here all day. I’m looking forward to meeting you.” She said with a note of sincerity.

  “Mrs. Porter?” Cathy asked before she could hang up.

  “Yes, Cathy?” She asked sounding confused.

  “There’s just one more thing that I wanted to tell you. I just want you to know that your son meant the world to me. I only got the opportunity to know him for six months or so, but in those few months I was the happiest that I had ever been. He really lifted by spirits up and he was an amazing person. He was one of the greatest people that I have ever known. I felt so blessed to have gotten to know him, even if the time was shortened by this horrible tragedy. Basically I just want you to know that I loved your son. I loved him more than any other guy I had ever dated before. I wanted to spend my entire life with him and I would have if his life wouldn’t have been cut short. I just wanted to tell you that so you knew.” Cathy wiped more tears from her eyes as they started falling from her eyes faster. It had been awhile since she cried, but talking to Marc’s mother made her feel the sadness and pain all over again.

  “Cathy, he loved you too. My son was never serious about a girl until he met you. Whenever I was with him, he constantly talked about you all of the time. He was so in love with you and I could tell by t
he look on his face that you had made him happy. Even though I have never met you, I knew you were an amazing person from the way that he described you.” She paused trying to find the right words to say. “I don’t know if I should tell you this, I don’t want to crush you. The last day that I spoke to my son, he asked me for my mother’s ring. He told me that you were so important to him that he wanted to make you his wife. I believe he would have asked you to marry him later that week if he would have survived. You were his world. You made him feel alive again after his father had died. You made him complete. I will always consider you as my daughter-in-law. He loved you so much, he wanted to spend his life with you. Oh dear, look at the time. I have to go to the florist and make the final arrangements for tomorrow. I will see you in the morning.”

  “Thank you for telling me Mrs. Porter,” She said through tears. “You have no idea how much that means to me. I would have said yes. I loved your son. I’ll let you get back to what you need to do for tomorrow. I’m looking forward to meeting you as well.”

  “Please call me Marion, dear. You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.” She ended the call and all Cathy could do was sit and stare at the television screen with blank eyes.

  “That was a good thing you did,” Chris said trying to ease her pain. “I bet you felt good after you called her. You wanted to do that for so long. I’m so glad you found the courage to do it.”

  “I do feel better. It’s just another piece of closure for me. I had wanted to call her sooner, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I think after tomorrow, I will feel even better. It’s just hard after everything we have been through. Even though it’s been almost a year since he died, I still miss him. I can’t believe he’s gone sometimes. The things she told me just made my heart fall to pieces. She told me Marc was going to propose. I had no idea he was that serious about me. I didn’t even know he was considering marriage. We talked about it, but I didn’t think it would happen anytime soon.” She finally looked away from the television and turned her gaze towards Chris.

  “I’m so sorry Cathy that must have been hard for you to hear. I can’t imagine what you must be going through right now. At least you know that he loved you. He loved you enough to want to make you his wife. Marriage is the ultimate commitment. He had to have loved you with all of his heart. He knew what he was doing. He wasn’t going to let a beautiful, smart or genuine girl like you go. You are a special person and you were obviously so special to him. Don’t ever lose that. It’s one of your best qualities. Your bright personality shines above everything else.” He smiled and she smiled back.

  “Chris, you’re a great friend. You’re the best friend that I could have ever asked for. Thanks so much for all of your help. I really appreciate it.” She stood up off the couch and spread out her arms into the air.

  “Don’t mention it. These last few months have been great. I love living with my best friend,” He said. “Are you ready to go to the lab?”

  “I love it too. You have taken away my pain and filled it with happiness. Sometimes I still get sad, but you help me through it. I’m ready, there’s just one more thing that I have to do first.”

  * * *

  The water was spraying through her hair as the wind blew her dress all around her. It was a beautiful fall day, the leaves were changing colors on the trees that she could see. She felt as though she had come home, even though she had never left. The dark, murky water underneath her splattered up and down as the waves hit the shore. She had a destination, one last thing to do before she let him go completely. It had been on her mind for days and she was going to accomplish this goal. It was what he would have wanted. She just knew it.

  “Do you see her anywhere?” Cathy asked Chris as she looked around in the water for a key shaped fin.

  “I don’t see anything yet, do you? The mobile shark tracker was beeping and according to the map on here, it says that she’s in this area. Let’s throw the fish in and see if she comes up. It’s her all-time favorite, tuna.” He smiled throwing in the big slab of tuna, without the hook this time.

  “I wonder if she had her baby yet. I know sharks are pregnant for about twice as long as humans are. When we last saw her she looked as if she was more than half-way through the pregnancy. It’s been about six months. I’m hoping to see a baby shark.” She smiled back at him and then turned her attention to the ocean. In the distance, she saw a crooked fin that was shaped like a key along with a smaller fin that looked similar. “Chris, look over there!” She pointed excitedly. “I can’t believe that we are seeing them again. There’s Mandy with her baby.”

  “It’s been a long time since I have seen a baby shark. He looks like a big boy. When they come closer, we can feed them if you want. I chopped up some more tuna fish that we could throw out to them.” He looked at the sharks in amazement as if he had never seen something so miraculous in his life before.

  “You’re always thinking ahead. I like that. Of course I want to feed them. Let’s go grab the fish now. We can go to the swimming platform at the end of the boat and give it to them. I might even want to pet them.” She hurriedly walked over to the cooler where Chris kept the containers of fish and took out a small container that was filled with freshly-cut tuna fish. She couldn’t believe that she had actually befriended Mandy. Time had gone by so fast. It seemed that she had hated Mandy only a short time period ago and now she was standing at the edge of a boat, risking her life to feed a creature that killed the love of her life.

  The sharks had come up closer to the boat now and Cathy had a clear view of Mandy. She could see her famous key shaped fin and the marks that she had on it from the struggle that she had with Marc. She threw in some tuna and laughed as Mandy ate it as fast as she could. Since it was almost winter, she wondered if Mandy was planning on migrating. The food had to be getting scarce, but it would be hard to migrate with a little one.

  She could see the baby shark swimming right next to his mother. He was small, but strong. She could tell that both of them had been hungry and were up for a free, easy meal. After seeing the two of them together, she knew that she had made the right choice. At first she had been unsure. It didn’t seem right to let a creature who had killed Marc stay alive. She knew if Marc was here, he would have been smiling and looking at the sharks with pride. Looking up at the sky, she would like to believe that somewhere he was out there watching and enjoying this intricate moment between a mother and son.

  * * *

  A soft knock at the door and the door opened quickly.

  “Marion?” Cathy asked looking inside the small house for Marc’s mother.

  “I’m sitting at the table, come join me dear. It’s hard for me to walk. I have a hard time getting around these days. The doors are all automatic.” Cathy heard her soft voice from what seemed like miles away.

  Cathy slowly walked in the house, taking in the sweet aroma of honey tea. She hadn’t remembered a time when she had smelled something so good, pure and fresh. Coming into a kitchen, she saw his mother sitting in a chair and eating a small sandwich with her tea. She pulled out the wooden chair across from her and decided to take a seat. Marion continued to look down at her sandwich and Cathy wondered if she had heard her come in. She was a beautiful woman, who appeared to be in her mid to late sixties. Her hair was tied back in a gray bun. Cathy couldn’t help but to think that Marc looked similar to her. She had the same dark brown eyes and in her younger years, Cathy assumed that she had dark brown hair as well.

  Breaking the silence Cathy said, “Your home is beautiful. I really like what you have done with the place.” She stared around the walls and noticed the photographs on the shelves. One caught her eye. It was of Marc when he was a young boy. He was holding up a fish that appeared to be bigger than him. He wore a large grin on his face and looked so proud. It reminded her of the man that she had come to know.

  “Thank you. It’s not much, but I get by. Have some tea,” She said as she pushed the tea kettle towards her. “I’
m glad that you could stop by for a minute. I have to leave soon to get to the funeral. I want to place out all of the flowers and make it look special for him. You’re welcome to join me if you would like. Before we go, I want to give you something.” She got up from the table slowly before Cathy could respond. When she came back, she had a small, black box in her hands. “Here, I want you to have this. Marc wanted you to have this and I want to honor his wishes.” She set the box in Cathy’s hands urging her to open it.

  She opened the small box and gasped. It was Marion’s mother’s ring that Marc had wanted to propose with. The gold ring with the large, circular cut diamond in the middle caught her eye. The way the light bounced off the diamond took her breath away. It was the most beautiful thing that anyone had ever given her, but there was no way that she could accept it. Not after everything that had happened.

  “Marion, it’s beautiful. I love it, but I just wouldn’t feel comfortable taking it. It’s your mother’s ring. You should keep it. I would feel horrible taking something this beautiful away from you.” She pushed the ring back towards the center of the table hoping that Marion would take it back without a fight.

  “No, no. I want you to have it. You’re the closest thing to a daughter that I have. My son loved you more than life. You deserve it. You may wear it if you wish or you can save it, but I want you to have it. Don’t even try to give it back dear, it’s yours to keep for life.” She said softly.

  “Are you sure Marion? I really feel bad taking something like this away from you, but thank you so much. I don’t think my words will even be enough to thank you for a gift like this. I honestly don’t know how I deserve something this special.” She looked down at the ring and pulled it out of the box. She slid it onto her engagement finger and it was a perfect fit.

  “Yes. It’s a gift from me to you. My son meant the world to me and now you do too. I’m dying dear and I want to give it to someone who was special and important to my family. That would be you. I don’t want any repayment, but I would love for you to come over and visit me more. It’s great being around someone who truly cared for my son. I’m heading off to the funeral parlor now. I will see you there soon. Thank you once again for coming to visit me.” She stood up slowly again from the table and grabbed her walker for the longer walk that she would be taking out to the car.